The inugural National Festival of Railway Modelling went very well. I know this because lots of people congratulated me on it. This is slightly embarrasing, as there's pretty much no-one on the team who has been involved with bringing a major event to fruition, from a blank sheet of paper nine months ago, than me.
My total involvement was to take over one side of the World of Railways stand with my part-finished NG7 layout, and some older projects, and talk about railway modelling. Something I did pretty much solidly on Saturday, and quite a lot on Sunday.
You could also find me in the cinema:
where I was showing how to build the latest Metcalfe Models kit, and do the static grass thing, amoung others. The photo shows Sunday afternoon, and yes it is weird eating an ice cream, and watching yourself on the big screen. On Saturday, I might have struggled to get in, as apparently, this latest new attraction was very popular, and not just with those wanting somewhere to kip!
I did get away from the stand on Saturday - for 15 minutes on an exercise bike, raising money for the RNIB on the Oxford stand. Sitting there, peddling away (26 kph for most of the session - get me!) was a little surreal, but it's a very, very good cause, and certainly something different.
Now, I haven't mentioned the layouts, and that's because I didn't get the chance to look much, even at a couple I really wanted to see properly. Search YouTube, as it seems pretty much everyone made a film of the show.
I also haven't mentioned cake, and that's because the NEC isn't great at this. Fortunatly, thanks to KR Models, I did manage one.
A very nice crispie cake, which also doubled as lunch, and much appreciated.
Overall, it was a good show. Yes, there are areas to be worked on, but there isn't an exhibition that can't say that. In fact, the most pleasing feedback came from other exhibition managers, who could see just how much had been done in a short time.
All being well, we'll be back for next year - November 22 and 23. The hall is already booked, and layouts are asking to come!
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